|
I woke to the twittering of sparrows outside our window this fresh morning of April 26th, 2006. Spring! Glorious spring! Birds and bees and beautiful buds all around. I kept my eyes shut and thoroughly enjoyed the comfort of the bed, the bird chatter, and the beginning of a new day.
Then I realized I wasn't in my own bed in Victoria, Minnesota. I was in Lourdes, France, over 5,000 miles away from home. People sound different in other countries, but birds sound the same. Birds also start singing at the same time in other countries, in the twilight just before dawn. The sun was coming up in this lovely old country where vineyards, castles, sheep, and mountains paint the landscape. It does not look like home.
Our pilgrimage began on the Monday after Easter and included a motley crew of 25 of us. We came from Victoria, Mound, Fridley, Spring Park, Minnetrista, Shorewood, Chanhassen, Bloomington, Watertown, Forest Lake, and also Poplar Grove, Illinois.
We too started singing at the same time every day and, being from the same country, we also sounded alike. Ours was not like chirping, however. It was more subdued, like the mellow call of night owls.
Did I tell you that two priests were part of the flock? Father Bob White of St. Victoria and Father Stan Mader of Our Lady of the Lake in Mound were our chaperones and guides toward things spiritual. They did a good job with impromptu homilies and grace before meals and Masses every day. Other pilgrims envied our young and handsome priests at the altars high and low.
As I jot down a few words for you here, we are flying over the Atlantic Ocean, heading west and already thinking of work. I'm thinking of family also, but my cell phone still doesn't respond. Next time I will purchase an international line. For some reason I thought cell phones functioned effortlessly all around the globe. Emailing across the sea also requires special planning.
Can't believe I'm headed back to Victoria already. Our trip is over. We visited four large cities -- Lisbon, Fatima, Madrid, Lourdes -- in three countries Portugal, Spain, France - in ten days. Was it this morning or yesterday morning that our flight left Toulouse?
Did I tell you that we lost a day somewhere in the time zones? Yes, we did. And it happened to be Wednesday, April 20th, Allan's birthday. It disappeared somewhere between the Discovery Monument in Lisbon and the Candlelight Procession in Fatima.
Plane seats are really quite awful. Guess there's not an economical solution. The young gal seated next to me is angry about something and I hope it's not me. She's using both armrests in a big way and flips her pages fast and crisp, not slow and easy. She's reading The Da Vinci Code and I'm reading Lourdes and the Story of Bernadette. Honest.
Her book is small with small print. My book is large and full of large glossy pictures of the Grotto, the Shrine of Lourdes, the Rosary Basilica, and the larger than life Stations of the Cross. It seems a miracle that I touched those places. Or should I say that those places touched me.
I'm thinking about the 25 people I've gotten to know these past ten days. Now I don't stumble over their names like I did early on, and I even know where they live. That's one advantage that tours have over going it alone like I normally do with Allan. A summer barbecue is already being planned by a couple who live on Enchanted Island in Lake Minnetonka. Should be enchanting.
My travel partner on this tour was Mary Moore of Victoria. It was a perfect match for such a trip. We are on the same page when it comes to many things. She makes me laugh a lot. Allan was happy for Mary and me to go on this pilgrimage together, as he contemplates and prepares for his upcoming turkey hunt - as if there's a comparison. What a turkey!
I'm going to watch a movie now, if I can get this darn headphone to work. The controls are in the armrest -- the one that is mine -- but it seems to speak only in German. I've picked up on "Was is los?" and "Wieviel Uhr ist es?" but the strain is ridiculous.
By the time we land in Minneapolis, I think we will have been 10 hours total in the air, plus time for the plane switch in Amsterdam. Every two hours they feed us something. I'm full. My head bobs as I nod off and then rudely jerks me awake. My feet are sweating.
I'll probably be telling you more about this unusual, uplifting, and powerful pilgrimage and also some interesting sidebars. The stories of Lourdes and Fatima captivated me when I was a very little girl. Their sphere of influence has increased in my life and the life of thousands and millions of others.
Spring! Glorious spring! I'm bring-ing spring water home from the Grotto at Lourdes. I look forward to waking up in my own bed to the twittering of spring outside my window. There's spring in my life and hopefully yours too.
Oh, did I tell you I took pictures? They probably won't get into my scroll of online photos for a little while because I've got flowers to plant! After all, it's spring, dontchaknow.
~Sue
|
|
